A County Armagh student has scooped the prestigious Receives Montgomery Award for Excellence in wall
and floor tiling.
Aaron Gillespie, a former SRC Level 3 Apprentice from Killylea, takes the award on the back of his recent gold medal at the National WorldSkills Competition in the category of Wall and Floor Tiling.
Aaron was presented with his Montgomery Award at a glittering ceremony held in Trinity House, London on Thursday, March 10.
Aaron is currently completing Squad UK training to progress and represent the UK at the WorldSkills Finals 2022 in Shanghai.
Aaron now works full-time as a qualified wall and floor tiler for Kevin Smyth Elite Tiling Services after successfully completing the Level 3 Wall and Floor Tiling Apprenticeship at Southern Regional College.
SRC lecturer Paul Doran remarked on how Aaron excelled as an apprentice at SRC.
He stated: “It’s great to see Aaron’s dedication and hard work paying off as he gets to showcase his wide variety of skills vital in modern construction. We are proud of Aaron’s achievements, and he continues to work hard.
“Aaron is a role model to all students and shows that with hard work, dedication, and motivation you can succeed. Well done!”
Upon receiving his award, Aaron said: “I was unsure what career I wanted to follow when I finished my GCSEs, but I decided that I wanted a career that I would enjoy and one that was always in demand. Wall and Floor Tiling was the perfect fit.
“I am currently working on large new build sites in Armagh and training hard to be selected to represent
the UK at WorldSkills 2022 in Shanghai.”
Brian Doran, Principal & CEO of Southern Regional College said: “We are extremely proud of Aaron’s recent achievement at WorldSkills UK competition where he was awarded a Gold medal and the Montgomery award for Excellence in Wall and Floor Tiling.
“Competitions is part of the fabric of vocational training at SRC and provides our students with the opportunity to develop world class skills and to benchmark their talents against the very best across the UK. I look forward to cheering Aaron on as he has an opportunity to progress to the WorldSkills Competitions later this year.”
